


Code 0: Death before Freedom

by Riascelia



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Genre: Betrayal, Broken Promises, F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, For The Best, I like it okay, Loss of Trust, Memory Loss, Mental Breakdown, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Past Lives, Past Torture, Promises, Trust Issues, Yeah I use the name Dusk a lot, hopefully enough fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 10:46:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15241710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Riascelia/pseuds/Riascelia
Summary: Long after the last pods had been recovered from the White Whale and the core had been recovered, a new signal pops up on deep scanners. Nestled in the mountains past where Cross has originally been rescued, Elma's team sets out to investigate. The mysteries of Mira are far beyond science, logic, and even magic but surely there's no way there could be another survivor right?





	Code 0: Death before Freedom

“Elma I’m not sure about this one. Are we sure this is the last pod?”

 

“Scans pinpointed it and there’s nothing else in the area. I’m nearly positive.”

 

A scuffling and tapping sound from outside, “Something seems off.”

 

“What do you mean Lin?”

 

“Elma I think the pod has been…resealed?”

 

“What?”

 

“The bolts are non pressurized and look like they’ve been manually closed but the scans do show that this is the only-”

 

Another voice joined in, somewhere between the younger voice and the older one, “I think we’ve got company.”

 

A deeper voice like that of a beast’s roar called out, “Earth scum! Why are you here? Are you going to reclaim your demon?”

 

“My name is Colonel Elma and this is property of New LA. Leave and no one has to get hurt.”

 

“How dare you protect that cursed thing? Never mind, we will destroy it and you!”

 

Gunfire, screaming, and the sounds of metal clanging against metal filled the air until it suddenly went silent, “Open it Lin. We don’t have time for this and there could be more.”

 

A quiet beeping was followed by the release of air in a cloud of mist. I felt my body pushed forward and suddenly I was falling through the darkness. I tried to grab unto something and call out but it was like I was frozen. I never hit the ground. Well I don’t think I did but I did hit something and I felt my body turned over and propped on something as a cool feeling swept over my face. A breeze? I think that’s the right word.

 

“Elma what’s wrong with her? She’s switched on but she’s…dead?”

 

“Use your omni tool on the port at her neck. She’s been switched off probably as a result of the crash.”

 

I felt a shock at my neck and opened my eyes, hearing another voice gasp painfully. Wait that’s…my voice speaking? I look around at the surrounding group, squinting to adjust my eyes to the brightness. I look from the red clothed woman to the black haired girl when another voice comes from right behind me.

 

“Are you alright? That crash must have been traumatic for you to be switched off.”

 

I looked up to see a smiling girl with white hair and red roots with bright crystal eyes looking down at me and I nodded, “Can you talk?”

 

I mouthed my answer but tried again while trying to remember how to use my vocal chords, “Y…y…e…ye…yes.”

 

She looks relieved, “Very good. Do you remember your name?”

 

I looked down and I felt a tightening around my waist, “It’s okay! Don’t worry about it. It’s all in your tag around your neck.”

 

I had realized that I was leaning into this woman’s chest and her arms were around me. Must’ve happened when I fell. I look to the other two women and notice their worried expressions being shared. When I turn back, I catch the white haired one giving them a nasty look and by the time I glance back to the two they’ve already pacified their expressions somewhat.

 

The black haired one kneeled down and pulled out a handheld scanner of some sort, “I’m going to give you a medical scan. This will only take a minute.”

 

Meanwhile my vision had started to adjust further and my depth perception began to get better, allowing me to see further into my surroundings. Tall alien trees and cliffs bore down on us as flying creatures swooped high above.

 

The red woman crouched down and gave me a reassuring smile, “Do you remember the White whale?”

 

“The…white whale?”

 

        They were calm and quiet, speaking softly as if I were a young child, “Yes.”

 

“I…it took us…here.”

 

“Well you remember something’s at least so that’s good. I’m sure the rest of your memory will come back in time.”

 

I nodded and reeled back as the sun broke past a cloud, blocking it out with my hand, “H…huh?”

 

I stared at my hand, stained reddish black with some sort of dried liquid and I lifted my other hand and saw that they were the same, “Yeah…we were going to ask you about that. You wouldn’t happen to remember what happened to your hands do you?”

 

I did nothing but stare at the red coating as it flaked off when I twisted my fingers and turned them around, “Another mystery I guess. There’s splattering of the red all over you too. When we get back to NLA we can have it analyzed. Maybe it’s just coolant or oil from your crash.”

 

“It’s blood.”

 

A coughing sound accompanied with a strangled yell drew everyone’s attention over towards the sight of the battle where an alien soldier dragged himself towards a pool of water. The red woman, Elma stood and approached him, drawing a long blade and a pistol of some sort. She stepped in front of him and placed the blade at his neck and aimed the pistol.

 

“Got something to say?”

 

“Not to you. That’s all I’m going to sat to scum like-”

 

She pressed the blade and he went quiet, “We can treat you here. Make it so you can walk away alive. Just tell us everything you know. After that you can do whatever you want. Even go back to hunting us.”

 

He made a strange noise and she withdrew the blade, “Alright fine…you want to know about that demon over there? Fine, I’ll tell you.”

 

“I knew you guys hated humans but isn’t this a little far? A whole war party to hunt down one escape pod?”

 

The alien pointed at me, “We sent a party a long time ago to kill off all the pods around here and that was the last one. Well when we show up the two commanders start arguing about whether to just kill the human or let it out to play around with before we kill it.”

 

“That’s horrible.”

 

“Well while they were arguing, the pod opens on its own.”

 

“And what happens?”

 

“How would I know? I wasn’t there.”

 

“What?”

 

“They got it all on recording but the connection died after someone called out that the door was open.”

 

“So why’d you come back for it?”

 

“Why do you think? The first group was found dead. Some were found running towards your city but every one of them was dead.”

 

“It could have been the indigens.”

 

He shook his head, “No, they all had the same wounds.”

 

“Which were?”

 

“Short claw marks, tons of them. The armor was pried off and their bones were snapped. Five claw mark strikes across their faces and backs. There was so much blood.”

 

Elma pulled out a syringe and jabbed it into the alien’s body, depositing all the liquid within. The alien fell limp and Elma returned to us.

 

“C’mon, let’s head back to the base.”

 

I felt my body being lifted up and turned to see the smiling face of the white haired soldier, “Everything’s going to be alright. We’re going to get you a bath, some clean clothes, and some nice warm food. Will you come with us?”

 

I felt mesmerized by her eyes and nodded, causing her to laugh. She half carried me most of the way until we reached a group of giant metal figures. They responded as we got closer and doors opened, allowing Elma and Lin to get inside them and take off into the air. The soldier carried me in and took her seat in the machine, guiding me to wrap my arms around her as the machine turned and transformed into some sort of mech, lifting off the ground. I stared in amazement as the skyline opened up and the world below grew distant as we flew through the sky.

 

“Enjoying it are we? I think I was the same when I first tried out the skell flight module.”

 

“Sk-ell?”

 

She pointed around her, “These machines. Skells. They let us fight, build, and explore when humans can’t. Amazing aren’t they?”

 

I nodded and watched as she easily controlled the flying machine. We passed into a grassy plain and I could see a massive metal wall on the horizons. On the side was written New LA. We flew over the walls and voices began popping into the machine, directing the soldier. We finally swooped around a tower and slowed, getting closer to the ground where a large group of people awaited.

 

She turned around as we touched down and laughed, “I completely forgot to introduce myself! My names Cross and it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Without thinking my mouth opened and I whispered, “Dusk.”

 

She smiled, “Is that your name? It’s a pretty cool one so we can use that even if it’s not your real one.”

 

“I…think it’s my real one.”

 

“Well let’s use it then. It’s a pleasure to meet you Dusk.”

 

I was quickly hurried through the crowds to an elevator where Elma messed around with the controls until we flew downwards, “Why…did you shield me?”

 

Lin glanced at the other two and took me by the upper arm, “Listen Dusk, these people want to know you’re safe and if they had seen this blood then they might have made a scene. You’ll get to be seen by them once we help you wash off and rest.”

 

They guided me towards a busy and crowded alley and road where we crossed and entered a building. The soldier, Cross, took charge of me and took me to her room where she helped me undress and get into a bath she prepared. She sat the tub and talked to me as I washed off the dirt, sweat, and blood. She talked about NLA and their various problems, the indigens, regions, the planet Mira where we had landed, and the final days of The White Whale. I had just washed off the last patch of blood and grime on my arm and noticed a black and gold mark left behind. I inspected it to find it was some sort of brand or tattoo. Cross told me not to worry and helped me dress into some of her extra clothes consisting of a pink tank top and short shorts that felt nice and comfortable.

 

“It’s nice that we’re more or less the same size so I can share some of my clothes with you. Now let’s go out for some food. Nagi, Vandham, and the director are apparently coming down to see you.”

 

“Nagi?”

 

“Nagi was the captain of the White Whale. Let’s go and meet them.”

 

She took my hand and led me out into the main area where a sweet and savory smell greeted me. Lin had set out plates of beef stew for us and we quickly ate the delicious food. I had opted to rest on one of the couches and Cross joined me, doing my hair while we waited. She tied a braid around the back and put some of my hair up in a bun while leaving some of the bangs to drift down across my neck and ears. The door dinged and four figures entered, exchanging greetings before taking seats facing me. I felt a little intimidated and tried to shrink when Cross took my hand again, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

 

“Hello miss Dusk. My name is Nagi, and from what I’m told, you’ve lost much of your memory. I was the captain of the White Whale where you served and am now working with the government here on Mira. This is director Chausson who also works with the government and this big man over here is Commander Vandham who was the chief engineer.”

 

“G…good evening.”

 

Nagi nodded and pointed at my neck, “Lin took a scan of your ID tag earlier and she’s pulling it up now so we’ll likely be able to jog your memory a little more. Let’s start with things you don’t need a memory for. Cross, have you filled her in on our predicament?”

 

“Yes sir.”

 

“Very good. Now, Dusk, we have a need for capable members within BLADE to help protect our future here. Whether you want to fight, learn to repair, help peace keep, or explore is up to you but we need capable and reliable people. As you were selected to be on my crew I believe you have great skill beyond which we require so I wish to ask you if you’d consider joining BLADE.”

 

I looked from the three men to Elma and Cross, “I’m…I’m not sure. I’m not much good at any of those things you’ve mentioned. I’d be a burden.”

 

“Nonsense, you must be good at something and if not then you can learn. There is no rush for being the best. All we ask is that you put the time and effort into learning something.”

 

“I-”

 

“Sir I got the scan working. I must not have scanned it fully so it wouldn’t respond but I bypassed it and matched the missing data.”

 

“Very well. Pull it up Lin.”

 

A large screen covered a wall and it lit up with some sort of database as Lin scrolled through until she found a red name, “Here it is! Let me just open it and voila it’s…what?”

 

The file opened into a massive file where everything was covered with a black bar and a box appeared over the censored file demanding a password from the security head. Nagi stands and approach’s the wall.

 

Vandham leans back and sighs, “Well ain’t that cute. Try your old password captain.”

 

Nagi also sighs, “If we’re talking about the security head for the whale then my password won’t do. He was a paranoid man at a cellular level it always felt so he probably had this one set to his own but I’ll try.”

 

A red message rejects Nagi’s password and the director shakes his head, “Is it common for a regular crew member to have a censored ID?”

 

Elma joins Nagi, “Not that I’ve seen. Everyone else in this room has a cleared ID except Dusk.”

 

The director stands up abruptly and gestures towards me, “Then I don’t see how we can let her run free until we clear this up! She could be a criminal and we’d never know it until she murdered us in our own homes.”

 

“Director?!”

 

“Don’t misunderstand me Elma I want her to help us but that ID is not normal. We need to-”

 

“Peace director. Let’s talk to the ‘girl’ shall we. Hey, Dusk right?”

 

I look at the large muscled and mustachioed man who seems to be giving me his most calming smile, “Do you remember anything else? We could go over basics first. Do you remember what squad or division you were assigned to?”

 

I lifted my ID necklace tag in my hands and stared at the red and silver surface of the metal like material, running my hand over the marks and coded words when I feel someone take my hand, “What’s this mark Dusk? I saw it earlier but I thought it was just a tattoo.”

 

I look down at my forearm to see the black and gold mark and shrug, “I don’t know.”

 

Elma is suddenly right next to us and has my arm in her hands, “This mark-? It’s the Ares!”

 

“Ar-es?”

 

“Nagi? Isn’t this the mark of the Ares?”

 

Soon everyone was looking and peering at my arm, giving me some great discomfort as they rattled on about whatever importance it had, “All the certified Ares pilots had this mark branded on them. I still have mine.”

 

“Elma but if this one is an Ares pilot then what happened?”

 

“What do you-?”

 

“Elma you and I along with everyone else in this room knows that you were the only surviving Ares pilot. The Ares group defended us from the hostile aliens while we secured our escape. All but yours were destroyed. They were all given code 0.”

 

Suddenly my heart kicked up and my breath sped up as my vision blurred. Sound dulled and I could no longer make out what anyone was saying. Images, sounds, and emotions shot through my mind like bullets from a machine gun, filling spaces I didn’t know existed as if they were always there. I snapped too and looked at the concerned face of Cross.

 

“Are you okay Dusk?”

 

“I’m…code 0. I was part of code 0.”

 

“Then what-?”

 

“I…I remember. I remember everything!”

 

I could feel my body shake as I looked down at the gold and black mark and my ID card, “Shhhhhhh. Dusk, take it slow. Everything’s all right. We can get you through this. All right?”

 

I nodded and she pulled me a little closer so that I was facing her on the couch, “Okay then. Deep breath. Take it slow and if you need a break just say so. Do you remember your unit?”

 

 Numbers, faces, words, phrases, memories, and pictures flew through my head, filling in parts I didn't know were empty, “Uhh Ex reserves section eight.”

“Okay good. What about your color?”

        A dark uniform in a locker, “Bl…black.”

“Alright and how about your company?”

“Company?”

“Your group sort of. It was sorted into what you were chosen for.”

 Bold letters, a terrible feeling in my stomach just thinking about them, “I think I know but…”

“Go on and tell us if you know. It will help us both.”

“Okay…I think I got sorted into the AVAM.”

“Good. Do you remember what floor?”

“Would that help?”

“The whale was big so the floors spanned multiple functions but it might help a little when we check our maps.”

 An elevator button someone else always pressed, “I was on floor…SB 698.”

She smiled and filled me with a soft confidence, “Thank you. What did you do on earth?”

I opened my mouth but came up with a complete draw, as if the memory had been there a second ago but was now dust on the wind, “I…can’t recall. Was I…even there? I don’t remember ever being on Earth but I know what it is." A terrific mind wracking heartache threatened to tear my consciousness away as fire, screaming, death, sirens, and explosions filled my mind, "The Ghosts destroyed it. Giant purple mechanized creatures that t…teleported somehow. They caught us by surprise and there was panic, screaming, flames, crying, and death. We weren’t ready were we? They just appeared…in the habitat zone. They were so…so angry. Enraged and wrathful beyond reason. They weren’t acting themselves.”

 

“Dusk what are you talking about? I was the captain yet how do you even know their names or what they felt?”

 

 I could feel the memory crawl across my skin, “I…I don’t know. I remember fighting them in a metal suit, leaping through the air, shooting and attacking. I remember destroying one and watching it disappear like it never existed.”

 

Elma sat on the other side of me, “What else do you remember from the fight?”

 

 Something outside the habitation pod, “There was something…a planet nearby maybe? The voices kept chanting it over and over again.”

 

“Voices? What did they say?”

 

“We had won. We had found a home.”

 

“What did you do afterwards? You were ordered to lock down and brace for atmospheric entry so why did we find you in a pod?”

 

“I…remember someone saying that. A voice in the machine but I…I couldn’t. Another voice drowned it out and kept repeating the same phrase. It hurt so much.”

 

“What did the voice say Dusk?”

 

        A mechanical voice, repeating, “Code 0. AVAM code 0. Over and over again.”

 

Elma covered her mouth and looked away, “We-?”

 

 A gargantuan black shape covers my mind, “A new ghost had appeared. Just two left. It went for the tower and I was alone. It was a trap. It was different. It was bigger and stronger, moved quicker and thought faster, and it was-”

 

Elma said it at the same time as me, “Black.”

 

 I felt anxious and nervous as my arms started twitching, “I made a mistake. I turned when it appeared and the one I was fighting hit me. It destroyed the voices and my arm but I got angry. Everything was red and I attacked it. It blew up and I got hurt that time.”

 

I lifted my shirt and showed off the long white scar across my chest, “The black one was fighting someone. Another one of me. A metal creature. They moved quickly but they weren’t enough. The black one took them down with one attack so I took their place.”

 

“You-!”

 

 Blue flames and then nothing, “I turned on my jets and launched myself into it. It hurt but the black moved. It lost balance and everything began to fill with fire. I kept pushing it and everything started moving. All of a sudden it was breaking apart and it grabbed me, crushing me in its claw but then it just threw me back. Straight into the ship. I…remember crawling through the halls. Everything was covered in flames and smoke and lights blinked and sounds screamed at me but I found a small space to hide in. The sounds and the fear…it went away. Then…you were there.”

 

The group looked at each other silently, startling as a sob suddenly escaped my throat, “It…I don’t want to remember. It hurts! Make it go away!”

 

Cross pulled me into her arms and hushed me, rocking me back and forth, “It’ll be alright Dusk. You need to rest and everything will be all right. Can you do that for me?”

 

 The fire, sirens, and terrible screams of the metal ones hummed in my ears as if they were just beyond the door, “I…what if I dream?”

 

I felt a prick on my neck and gasped as icy fingers flowed through my veins, “Don’t worry Dusk. You will relax and be safe here. Everything is going to be fine.”

 

I felt my eyes defocus and begin to close as I tried to pull away, “Wh…what did y-yo-you do? P-poison?”

 

“Shhhhh just close your eyes Dusk. It’ll help you sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”


End file.
